In 1982, twelve years after we opened for business, we sent out our first holiday greeting card derived from a rendering of that year’s most interesting project. Originally meant to have our good wishes stand out from other year-end messages, that annual effort became a much-anticipated signature. It has also accidentally created a history of our office.
The first card – the renovation of a faded century-old commercial building, 122 Fifth Avenue –acknowledged Bromley Development’s pioneering role in the resurgence of lower Fifth Avenue. Next were a new public high school’s gymnasium and playing fields, and then came the preservation of Con Edison’s iconic clock tower at its headquarters building. By that point, the year-ending cards had become a tradition.
Of course, the cards show only a fraction of our work – 4,300 projects across 48 years, a good-sized portfolio. However you shuffle the deck, though, they reflect the focus and achievements of the Helpern office. As you scroll through the collection, click on the projects that match your interest; the link will connect with more information about them on our website.
We salute the owners and developers of these properties. Their commitment to quality and stewardship … their imagination and courage to invest in structures and transform districts … make them significant, even visionary clients. Being known as their architect has built our reputation and client roster.
The holiday cards have had three graphic designers: Carla Hall originated the series, father and son Roger and Ben Whitehouse carried it for the next 30 years, and Red Jar Creative produced 2016’s glamorous depiction of the new AC Hotel by Marriott for OTO Development.
Our Holiday Cards as a Profile of the Firm
Here are some quick facts about the cards – and Helpern Architects – tallied after we created the 35th card:
- All projects – like our work – are in the New York region.
- 16 are tall buildings.
- 14 are mainly new construction.
- 20 involved preservation or renovation. Several places gained an entirely new purpose. Two were resuscitated after major fires.
- 19 are institutional buildings for learning, research, or worship.
- 13 are commercial structures, designed for hospitality or business.
- 4 are structures for fun, like gyms or the Bronx Zoo’s incomparable Congo Gorilla Forest.
- Many are historic or designated, but five are iconic: Columbia’s Low Library, the Con Edison Clock Tower, Marble Collegiate Church (“America’s Hometown Church”), Pratt Institute’s Main Building, and the Nave, or entry pavilion, of Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library.
- 4 were never built. It happens.
1982 |
122 Fifth Avenue, Bromley Development |
1983 |
Eastchester (NY) High School |
1984 |
Con Edison Clock Tower |
1985 |
667 Madison Avenue, Hartz Mountain |
1986 |
St. George Branch, New York Public Library |
1987 |
Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, New York University |
1988 |
Casa Italiana, New York University |
1989 |
Bank of East Asia |
1990 |
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church |
1991 |
Penn Club of New York, University of Pennsylvania |
1992 |
PS 102, Bronx |
1993 |
Sunset Park Courthouse, NYC Police Department |
1994 |
The Dalton School |
1995 |
Soho Grand Hotel, Hartz Mountain |
1996 |
Congo Gorilla Forest, Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society |
1997 |
Collegiate School |
1998 |
Homestead Village |
1999 |
1550 Broadway at Times Square, Rubenstein Family |
2000 |
Bowling Green Office Building, Braun Realty |
2001 |
Low Memorial Library, Columbia University |
2002 |
Genovesi Center, St. Francis College |
2003 |
School of Management, Yale University |
2004 |
Student Commons, CUNY-Borough of Manhattan Community College |
2005 |
Academic Center, St. Francis College |
2006 |
Center III, CUNY–LaGuardia Community College |
2007 |
Marble Collegiate Church, Collegiate Church Corporation |
2008 |
Cambria Suites |
2009 |
Knox Hall, Columbia University |
2010 |
St. Agnes Branch, New York Public Library |
2011 |
Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites, OTO Development |
2012 |
Fort Washington Collegiate Church, Collegiate Church Corporation |
2013 |
Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University |
2014 |
Main Building, Pratt Institute |
2015 |
212 Fifth Avenue, Madison Equities |
2016 |
AC Hotel by Marriott, OTO Development |